January 19, 2007

Souffle 101

Q: What is the best way to shoot a souffle?A: Out of a cannon.

Just kidding - sort of. I don't often talk about the world of food styling on this blog. Why I don't know. I did realize, however, that with this particular Hay Hay It's Donna Day theme some might have some trepidation about taking part. Trust me - taking a photo of a souffle can be done. In fact, I've gotten five entries with beautiful photos already!

For those of you who may not be feeling as confident, here are some words of wisdom that I gained through *my* nightmare experience:

Overdo it. I found in my most successful souffles, I had overfilled the ramekins just enough to get a really grandiose top so that even though it settled quickly, it still had some oomph once it got to its destination. Be careful not to overdo it TOO much - you'll have an overflow of epic, puffy proportions.

Patience, grasshopper. Seriously. It absolutely killed me not to peek. It really did. I'm telling you. DON'T OPEN THE OVEN. Set your timer and simmer down. Have a glass of wine. Check your email. Whatever you need to do to distract yourself you but DON'T OPEN THE OVEN.

Cheat. I did not have to do this with my souffle but I was told by someone I work with that adding cream of tartar to your egg whites will aid in keeping it fluffier longer. If you try this trick, do let me know how it turns out for you.

Hurry. Ideally, you're going to want the surface you are shooting on as close to the oven as physically possible. More often than not, your souffle is not going to brave the elements long enough to get it on set if you're more than 20 steps away. That having been said, wherever you decide to take its photo, get there fast.

My last tidbit of info? It's just food. At the end of the day, your souffle is going to be fluffy and delicious (hopefully) regardless of whether it was photogenic or not. Just relax and enjoy - both the process and the results!

Comments

Souffle 101

Q: What is the best way to shoot a souffle?A: Out of a cannon.

Just kidding - sort of. I don't often talk about the world of food styling on this blog. Why I don't know. I did realize, however, that with this particular Hay Hay It's Donna Day theme some might have some trepidation about taking part. Trust me - taking a photo of a souffle can be done. In fact, I've gotten five entries with beautiful photos already!

For those of you who may not be feeling as confident, here are some words of wisdom that I gained through *my* nightmare experience:

Overdo it. I found in my most successful souffles, I had overfilled the ramekins just enough to get a really grandiose top so that even though it settled quickly, it still had some oomph once it got to its destination. Be careful not to overdo it TOO much - you'll have an overflow of epic, puffy proportions.

Patience, grasshopper. Seriously. It absolutely killed me not to peek. It really did. I'm telling you. DON'T OPEN THE OVEN. Set your timer and simmer down. Have a glass of wine. Check your email. Whatever you need to do to distract yourself you but DON'T OPEN THE OVEN.

Cheat. I did not have to do this with my souffle but I was told by someone I work with that adding cream of tartar to your egg whites will aid in keeping it fluffier longer. If you try this trick, do let me know how it turns out for you.

Hurry. Ideally, you're going to want the surface you are shooting on as close to the oven as physically possible. More often than not, your souffle is not going to brave the elements long enough to get it on set if you're more than 20 steps away. That having been said, wherever you decide to take its photo, get there fast.

My last tidbit of info? It's just food. At the end of the day, your souffle is going to be fluffy and delicious (hopefully) regardless of whether it was photogenic or not. Just relax and enjoy - both the process and the results!